How you can tell I've hit Madison motherhood...

Jeff and I just bought a Subaru Outback (the official car of Madison mothers everywhere).

For those of you who are familiar with my everyday trials, you're familiar with the coolant problems that I've had with the Camry. Well, the problems continued to get worse -- a four-inch crack in the radiator was found during my last oil change.

We were getting close to the end of paying off the loans for Jeff's WRX, so it was about time that I got a new car. Even though I've been dying for a Prius for awhile because of how environmentally friendly it is, after one test drive, I realized that it might not be able to fit all of the stuff that Trogdor will require as he/she grows up.

For example, my sister brings the following with her for overnight trips with Elliott: A pack-n-play, a box of books, a box of toys, a suitcase for her and Dan, as well as a bag of clothes for him, random snacks, Bear and a Sherpa guide named Bob. OK. Maybe I'm exaggerating about the Sherpa guide.

But she's got a minivan now to haul all the gear. I'm not a fan of minivans, SUVs or pickup trucks because I don't like to sit up high. I prefer being lower to the ground with some maneuverability.

So what do you do when you need space for the kid, gear, etc., but don't want a minivan? You look at station wagons. I know, a station wagon seems like the ultimate mom-mobile, but if it's got all wheel drive, can take tight corners and purrs like a large kitten, is it really a mom-mobile?

Hence the Outback. I have to thank our dealer for not giving us a hard sell at all. He just told us about the car and its features and let us come to our own decision -- the only time money was discussed was when we raised the issue.

Admittedly, he did his job well also, because we bought the car and admittedly, a little higher than our initial budget. But with the heated seats, heated wipers, heated mirrors, low mileage, power and size, it was a winner.

I'm kind of sad about losing the Camry. There's a lot of good memories wrapped up in that car. When Jeff and I were on winter vacation in college, he'd pick me up in that car for a couple of dates. It was the first nice car that we ever had, when we purchased it from Jeff's parents.

But it's time. The Camry's got a cracked radiator, cracked gasket and is just old. With a new kid on the way, getting something that we weren't pouring money into all the time seemed like the best idea. So goodbye Camry, hello Outback and the new memories that will be created.